LONDON BRONCOS 78 DONCASTER 6
HUW RICHARDS, Cherry Red Records Stadium, Sunday

LONDON became champions of Rugby League’s second level for the fourth time in their 46-year history with a resounding defeat of Doncaster, their fifth victory over the South Yorkshire team this season.

This triumph follows topping Division Two in 1983 and more recent play-off victories, all of which carried them into the game’s top tier.

The rumour mill suggests their chances of elevation this time have improved, but whatever happens, the lack of certainty remains for many an unsatisfactory conclusion to the campaign.

Either a team who are patently ready for Super League will be denied under a system which contradicts the game’s basic values by penalising ambition and featherbedding well-resourced mediocrity or will advance via a retrospective boardroom decision.

Neither reflects well on the game, and the continuing uncertainty is unfair to London and every other club potentially affected.

The action by contrast was a fine demonstration of what London could bring to the top league as they built on the previous week’s demolition of Oldham.

Doncaster, so impressive here last month and magnificent at Newcastle eight days earlier, joined the ranks of those who have been unable to follow through on a superb semi-final.

With both sides of the ground open for the first time since the early season and a noisy contingent from Doncaster, the afternoon had a sense of atmosphere too often lacking at Wimbledon this year.

Doncaster’s might-have-been moment passed after seven minutes when Connor Robinson could not quite grasp an interception which, although he was 70 metres from London’s line, might well have led to a try.

Instead within a minute, James Meadows was sailing untouched to the line, initiating a burst of three tries in seven minutes.

Dean Hawkins claimed the second after a charge by Siliva Havili, then Meadows added another, while converting all three to make it 18-0 (he notched six goals in total with Gairo Voro landing four).

Doncaster found something of last week’s spirit over the next 16 minutes, and London’s only score in this period was a typical effort from wing Neil Tchamambe, taking a solidly-built tackler inexorably across the line with him.

But that lull was followed by a deluge of seven scores in 21 minutes either side of the break.

Tries by Robert Mathias and Elliot Wallis were followed by the powerful Havili bouncing off a series of tacklers to solo to the line and take London past 2,000 points for the season on the stroke of half-time, when they led 38-0.

Forcing a goal-line drop-out from the kick-off presaged the post-break burst with Brandon Webster-Mansfield scoring twice either side of sending Tchamambe in for his 40th try of the season, a tally which left him second to Mark Johnson’s all-time club record of 43 in a season in 1993-94.

When Connor O’Beirne went over after 53 minutes it seemed London might score on every possession, but Doncaster steadied again and took advantage of Jack Croft’s sinbinning to claim a consolation try from the powerful Luis Johnson, improved by Robinson.

London claimed final-quarter scores through Gairo Voro, his 39th, Wallis and Emarly Bitungane to take their average points per game past 60 before Luke Smith kicked a celebratory short-range penalty-goal after the hooter had sounded.

GAMESTAR: James Meadows’ first-half display showed what London, for all their dominance, have been missing in his absence.

GAMEBREAKER: The early three-try burst, with two from Meadows, ended any thoughts of Doncaster following up on their heroics at Newcastle.

MATCHFACTS

BRONCOS
18 James Meadows
26 Neil Tchamambe
20 Brandon Webster-Mansfield
3 Robert Mathias
2 Elliot Wallis
23 Gairo Voro
7 Dean Hawkins
8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
9 Sam Davis
10 Emarly Bitungane
11 Luke Smith
12 Jack Croft
13 Siliva Havili
Subs (all used)
1 Morea Morea
6 Connor O’Beirne
14 Finley Glare
24 Lewis Bienek

Tries: Meadows (9, 16), Hawkins (11), Tchamambe (26, 45), Mathias (32), Wallis (35, 68), Havili (39), Webster-Mansfield (42, 50), O’Beirne (53), Voro (64), Bitungane (75)
Goals: Meadows 6/9, Hawkins 0/1, Voro 4/4, Smith 1/1
Sin bin: Croft (61) – obstruction

DONCASTER
1 Tom Holmes
2 Bureta Faraimo
4 Reece Lyne
24 Watson Boas
5 Luke Briscoe
6 Cory Aston
7 Connor Robinson
8 Brad Knowles
19 Connor Jones
17 Muizz Mustapha
12 Alex Sutcliffe
22 Luis Johnson
14 Jacob Jones
Subs (all used)
10 Suaia Matagi
11 Sam Smeaton
13 Loui McConnell
31 Tom Whitehead

Tries: Johnson (62)
Goals: Robinson 1/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 22-0, 28-0, 32-0, 38-0; 44-0, 48-0, 52-0, 58-0, 58-6, 64-6, 70-6, 76-6, 78-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Broncos: Siliva Havili; Doncaster: Luis Johnson

Penalty count: 6-8
Half-time: 38-0
Referee: Liam Rush